Stealing Kisses
by starbelow
Summary: lj prompt for soft. Jayne doesn't want to go back to sleep, instead he finds other things to do. Slash, boyXboy. Oneshot. Jayne/Mal.


A/N: I don't like this one as much as my other ff fanfics, but this is a response to a prompt from lj. The prompt was _soft_.

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own these characters.** **JOss is BOss.**

Jayne opened his eyes, separating him from his hellish nightmares as best as he could. It had all seemed so real, the fighting, the blood, the deaths. It was all a bit too real for his liking. He knew that he couldn't go back to sleep, or else he would be revisited by these reoccurring dreams. He had to get up and do something to keep him from sleeping and to keep his mind off of the horrible images he's seen in his sleep.

It was quiet on the ship; it usually was around this time. A gentle hush fell over the whole ship and everyone in it. The whole crew, well almost the whole crew, was tucked away in their separate little resting places. Jayne felt wrong to be up and moving around while everyone else was sleeping, unaware. It felt wrong because he wasn't doing what the others were doing, but, then again, Jayne liked to do what others weren't. He liked to do what was "wrong". He could open all the cargo, shoot rounds off in the cargo hold, or take apart the engine, if that was to his liking. Hell, he could even pilot the ship, maybe, if he wanted to.

That sounded like an entertaining idea. He thought about it as his feet carried him closer and closer to the bridge. When he got there he saw a brown tuft of hair sticking up over the captain's chair. Mal. Jayne felt a little disappointed; of course Mal would be smart enough to not leave the controls unmanned. But he also felt a little relieved that he wasn't the only one up and about at this hour, and that it was Mal instead of one of the others.

"What'cha doin' up?" He asked coming around to the side of the pilot's chair.

The only response he got was a low snore from somewhat parted lips. Mal had fallen asleep on the job.

"Well hell," Jayne chuckled. He was sure to store this in his memory bank to use whenever Mal caught him doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.

He chuckled again as another snore, a louder snore, ripped through the air. Jayne swore that if Mal started to drool that he would run and fetch his camera. There's nothing to brighten someone's bleak day other than embarrassing photos of other people.

Jayne watched the captain's thin supple lips intently as he hoped and prayed for the need of his camera. On the edge of his vision he could see that smooth planes of Mal's creamy face, his not-too-sharp jaw line, his slightly wide nose, and his strong brow. He knew every inch of this face; he had bee with Mal for what seemed like forever. Hours had turned into days and days had turned into years, these features were as familiar to Jayne as Vera. It wasn't that he had simply become accustomed to the captain's appearance; it was simply the fact that Mal was the person Jayne looked at the most. The only person's countenance Jayne bothered to burn into his memory, the only person's face Jayne actually wanted to see when he closed his eyes.

Many nights Jayne was left wondering if Mal's lips were really as soft as velvet, as Inara had bragged secretly to Kaylee one evening; he had been eavesdropping at the door of Inara's shuttle. Now was his chance to find out. It felt wrong to steal a kiss or two from someone sleeping, but then again, Jayne liked to do what was "wrong".

He leaned forward until he was nose to nose with him. Mal's eyes moved and fluttered behind his lids. Hoping his eyes wouldn't suddenly just pop open, Jayne softly, barely, brushed his lips against Mal's. Inara was right. Jayne dared another chaste kiss just to make sure he wasn't imagining anything. With a wave of excitement running through him, Jayne was emboldened to chance a slightly harder kiss. He pursed his lips and pressed them against Mal's, Jayne held their lips together for as long as he dared, a whole ten seconds. He knew that Inara had been right. Mal's lips were soft, but velvet seemed like the wrong likeness to compare them to. They were more like the soft fluffy down of goose feathers.


End file.
